sugartown

As Summer Approaches...

I think about the perfect summery mix.  Possilby something to rollerskate to near a beach or something equally picturesque?  Or maybe to loaf in a field of ladybug filled flowers?  Or skipping through a cemetary, for all of you dour types perhaps?

I'm thinkin' such a mix might look a little like this:

Beach Fossils - Plastic Flowers

A wake cover.  Those jangly guitars & girl & boy vocals -- oh man, it just kills me every time.  And here's another track I'm enjoying, which is a bit newer: 

 

 

Lotus Plaza - Strangers

This is Lockett Pundt (you know, the dreamy guitarist) from Deerhunter's solo project.  "Strangers" is the first single off of the forthcoming "Spooky Action from a Distance" album. It's beautiful & man, is he easy on the eyes -- everyone wins!  So here he is performing the song -- LIVE: 

 

 After watching I say this to the heavens above:  please send me this guitar angel man.

Violens - Der Microarc

This song is NEW & so lovely. I'm excited to hear the full-length which is out on May 15th.  Here's the video for the song:

 

 

 Only three songs you say? Oh I have more that will go on this summer mix.  Like an episode of CHiPs, this is a To Be Continued....

Oh, Paris!

You may not know this about me, but beneath this tuff exterior lies a sappy, mushy interior. Ah yes, I am a secret romantic.  I hide it well, I try to anyway.  Nothing makes me swoon more than a chanteuse/chanson bluurbling about whatever it is they are singing about (sadly I don't speak French -- Quelle tragédie!)

It goes without saying that I loved the movie "Midnight in Paris" & "Amelie."  Mon Dieu, I am a cliche. Here French songs that I am particularly enjoying right now:

Pink Martini -- Je N'est Veux pas Travaille

Rufus Wainwright -- Complainte De La Butte

Earth Kitt -- Je Cherche Un Homme

Charles Trenet -- La Mer

Je T'aime.

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes Teenage Dreams Really *Do* Come True!

First off, what you are witnessing is the resurrection of SUGARTOWN.  Yes, this is happening!  After about two years of inactivity, I am back.  Let's hope I don't become bored with myself too soon.  Encouraging messages welcome.

It seems fitting that the first thing I should get to gush about is the HOLY SHIT AM I DREAMING EVENT happening in April: Chickfactor is having a 20th Birthday Party!  They're putting on two sets of shows. One will be at The Bell House in Brooklyn on April 10, 11 & 12 & the other will be on April 6 & 7 Artisphere in D.C. (Arlington)!!  I got my tickets to the Brooklyn shows & now I just have to wait 3 WHOLE MONTHS for it....

So who am I most excited about seeing?

Black Tambourine

 

06 Throw Aggi Off The Bridge

Small Factory

 

Sadly, I don't have any Small Factory anymore.  I love the album "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got"  & the songs "I'm Not Giving Up" & "Valentine" are just...so so good.

Lois

 

01 Davey  Oh this one is a gem! 

Aislers Set

 

01 Friends Of The Heroes  Just lovely.

Pipas

 

05 Basements

The Legendary Jim Ruiz Group

 

10 Stormtrooper

So pretty much all of the first two nights!  I can't make the third night so I'm not even going to entertain the thought of who I'm missing (it will be good too...dammit).  This is a do-not-miss, once-in-a-lifetime event so get your tickets before it sells out!  Who knows when these people will be lured out to play for us again?

For further reading, here's a handy Guide to the Chickfactor Party Line Up in Brooklyn.  Maybe I'll see you there!  I'll be the girl with the glasses weeping tears of joy off to the side, nerdishly singing all the words along with everyone else.

I'm obsessed with Sophie Blackall's gorgeous illustrations of Missed Connections.  They're so whimsical & beautiful I sort of can't stand it.

On her blog, she describes the missed connections she depicts as: "Messages in bottles, smoke signals, letters written in the sand; the modern equivalents are the funny, sad, beautiful, hopeful, hopeless, poetic posts on Missed Connections websites. Every day hundreds of strangers reach out to other strangers on the strength of a glance, a smile or a blue hat. Their messages have the lifespan of a butterfly. I'm trying to pin a few of them down."

Luckily, you can purchase some of this beauty for yourself at her Etsy shop.  I bought two the other day but darn it if I haven't found more that I want already!  I just might have to dedicate an entire wall of my apartment to her work at this rate & I see absolutely nothing wrong with this.

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Everyone's talking about Broken Bells - the collaboration between Danger Mouse & James Mercer from The Shins - with good reason, it's pretty awesome from what I've heard so far.  Here's a track that I especially like, which is the title track of their release:  Broken Bells -- The High Road

The next band - called Cults - have no musical past but seem to have a future together if they decide to continue.  They're getting a buzz since Pitchfork posted them as their weekly Best New Music pick a few weeks ago but seem to be a couple who posted their songs for their friends to listen to -- this must be irritating on so many levels to all of those bands hustling to have their music heard out there. 

In any event, they have a Bandcamp site where you can download their three songs for FREE, including this little number, which I find quite lovely:  Cults -- Most Wanted

Okay so The Radio Dept have a full-length coming out in mid-April & I really couldn't be more excited about it.  It's called "Clinging to a Scheme" -- you can pre-order it from Labrador & listen to a track called "The Video Dept" from the album via YouTube.

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Oh & like I'll be spinning more new stuff I've been hearing tomorrow on my weekly internet radio show Sandy Acres Sound Lab on East Village Radio so listen live from 10 am to noon EST if you can or check it out later.  Listen in won't you?

Ladies from the Eighties

I'm going to be spinning at the Madewell store in SoHo (on Broadway at Broome) again on Wednesday, 12/23 from 4 to 8 pm.  Come by, get those last minute presents & say hi!

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 Okay now that I've covered the bidness du jour, today's post will be focusing on those fine fine ladies of the eighties.

Kate Bush -- Running Up That Hill 

Back in the day if you'd have said you were a Kate Bush fan, I would've just written you off as a nerdy theatre major or something.  I just didn't really get her whole deconstructed literary ballerina thing & I was also sort of a dick.

Since then, I've grown up (a bit) &  gone back & listened to her & found lots of great songs -- like this one!  Someone needs to remix this mother with a really good beat so it's easier to dance to though.

 

Kirsty MacColl -- They Don't Know  

Sure we all remember Tracey Ullman's version, but did you know that Kirsty MacColl wrote it & sang it first?  

I like 'em both but this one is less brassy & silly.  It's got heart & sweetness.  It doesn't try to be cute.

Here's a photo montage someone put together -- I don't think this song ever had a video.

 

Eurythmics -- Who's That Girl 

Seriously how cool is she, is he?  I was admittedly pretty confused by Annie when I first saw the "Sweet Dreams" video.  Why would a woman dress like that?

"Dumb hearts get broken just like china cups"  And this video -- I love the video to this song!  She's both the guy & the girl!  It totally twisted my brainz. Did you catch some of those new wave cameos?

Blondie -- Dreaming

I've got to end it here with possibly THE sexiest lady of the 80s -- Miss Debbie Harry.  I love that this song is just so shamelessly girl group stylee.  

You know, listening to Blondie as a young, impressionable kid probably made me want to move to NYC in the first place.  Because I always considered myself somewhat of a badass, this line has always stuck with me:  "when I met you in a restaurant you could tell I was no debutante." 

Here's Blondie performing on some TV show  & Debbie is hella sweaty.

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And this?  Well this is totally unrelated to this post & awesome.

Play On, Playa

 Oh man, remember these jams??  Pure dance floor butter.  I've thrown in some straight up bangers as well as guaranteed "panty peelers" as my friend Midge calls 'em.  Whut-whut (inthebutt).

Blackstreet feat Dr. Dre -- No Diggity -- Seriously, could this song be more awesome?  I will answer that for you: NO. Play on, playa  & pick up some sweet fashion tips for wearing those overalls, whydontcha.

Kriss Kross -- Jump -- Whoever the joker was who had those poor kids wearing their clothes backwards...well, they should be beaten with a pair of Cross Colours jeans.

Mase -- Feel So Good  -- I wish I could find the video to this song.  It's a great example of the ridiculous excesses of 90's hip hop.  In any event, this song is dance floor G*O*L*D.

Lauryn Hill -- Doo Wop (That Thing) --       I love her, wish she didn't go all wacko.  You can watch the video right here.

LL Cool J -- Loungin (Who Do Ya Luv)  -- Aww yeh...this is how a real man tells you what he wants! Now pour that chocolate sauce on my legs, LL you dirty dirty dog.

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As if that's not enough, feel free to browse amongst my video links:

Salt N Pepa -- Shoop  -- Yes, the video quality is THE WORST but the lyrics alone make it worth it.  I think you should try some of 'em out next time you go out... let me know how that goes.  Oh & what the hell, I've got to include this one too, right?: Salt N Pepa feat En Vogue -- Whatta Man 

Q-Tip -- Vivrant Thing  -- I bet Q-Tip never wanted that video shoot to end. Super sexy no?

Janet Jackson feat Q-Tip -- Got Til it's Gone  -- Not only do I like this song, but the video is just beautiful.  Janet's hair is pretty badass too.

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Sigh.  Goodbye 90's.  I don't miss you at all, especially not your unfortunate fashion choices...

I Wanna Hug Ya, Kiss Ya, Squeeze Ya til Yr Arms Fall Off

So if you're in NYC tonight, you should stop into HUGS (on N.7th between Berry & Wythe)!  It's a night called SHAKE IT UP! from 10 pm - 2 am. 

I'll be spinning the ridiculously obvious to the hopelessly obscure. Bring some friends & let's turn this into a dance party! If you're to the challenge, I am too...

::: TONIGHT 11/19 --

SHAKE IT UP!  @ HUGS :::

106 N 6th St
(between Wythe Ave & Berry St)

10 PM - 2 AM (or later!)

Now it's time to post some good stuff so you won't think I'm just a shameless self-promoter:

Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs -- I Wanna Hug Ya, Kiss Ya, Squeeze Ya

I'm a big fan of Holly Golightly.  She's going to be Mercury Lounge on December 10th too & I bet it'll be a helluva show.  I really should get tickets one of these days..

The Halo Benders -- Don't Touch My Bikini

Oh Calvin, whatcha doing these days?  Well according to Wikipedia, he was in a movie called The Lollipop Generation in 2008.  And I'm happy to report he's in a new band called The Hive Dwellers!  I'm glad to see he's out there still doing his thing.

Mind if I Make Love to You?

If you're looking for something to do tonight...

|| CHARM SCHOOL ||

I'm spinning tonight at Huckleberry Bar (588 Grand Street -- at Lorimer)from 10 pm to 2 am -- come by! I'll be spinning new wave, classic soul, indie, twee, pop & whatever else seems fitting.  

& this is going to be super fun on Halloween...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
MONDO PRESENTS M O N D O W E E N !
Saturday October 31st

Miss Modular * Kevington * Dr Maz
Spin Eerie Indie, Bloody Brit, Peculiar Pop, Really Scary Rock & Retro (Plus anything from Shocking Shoegazer to Terrifying Twee)

That's right, after years in the making, MONDOWEEN returns! For one night only, we're hopping over to Brooklyn for a scarily fun evening of the best indie tunes and costumed dance floor antics! So get your outfit together and join us!

Huckleberry Bar
588 Grand Street (at Lorimer)
www.huckleberrybar.com
------
NO COVER!!  21 and over  10pm to 4am
By Subway:  L,G to Lorimer St.

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This is the story of my life <-- The blog is called Can You Play that One Song.  Please take a moment & scroll through the entries.  I think I've experienced almost every entry in some way or another. I swure.

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TWO songs that are rocking my world right now:

Thao Nguyen with the Get Down Stay Down -- When We Swam  WHOO what a song -- what a voice!  It took me forever to give them a listen but hot damn am I glad that I did.  And are they from Virginia??  Even better.

Now someone tell me how to pronounce her name so I don't sound *quite* so dopey. Kthx.  MySpace page here.

Datarock -- True Stories (Album Version)  To tell you the truth, I didn't think I'd like 'em cause I  can be so snobby when it comes to uber hipster bands.  I mean look at the red jumpsuit, sunglasses & bmx action.  but this song is catchy as hell & I really really dig it.  So there.  Don't be as judgmental as me, go check out their MySpace page or something.

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"May I Make Love to You" image taken from Epiclectic's Flickr 

Gettin' (Sorta) Folked Up

Aww shizz...Could it be?  Another post -- so soon, so quick?!  It is like a beautiful dream come true.

So I've been doing a bit of apartment cleaning & de-cluttering, digging through my bins 'n bins of music.   I've believe I've come up with a few lil ditties that you might find to your liking.

Yo La Tengo --Griselda  From the album Fakebook  -- their collection of cover songs released way back in 1990. ::Sigh::  Now this song is just adorable, isn't it?  It's a traditional folk song but who made it famous? I cannot tell you.  If you do know, leave a comment!  Read more about YLT at AllMusic.com.

Swell -- Smile My Friend  I'm very excited to have this one back in my repertoire.  I remember loving the hell out of this song back in the day.  Swell is so under-appreciated, no one I know seems to remember them!  I'm here to change all that.  And hey -- looks like they're still making beautiful music together according to their MySpace page.  Here, listen to another track --> so.good.:  Swell -- Here It Is

 Magnetic Fields -- Reno Dakota  Just thought I'd throw this one in cause it's so dang cute.  I was obsessed with this song -- enough to name my friend-only CD club Pantone 292!  OMG -- check out this cartoon blog called How Fucking Romantic -- it's completely devoted to artists illustrating the songs on 69 Love Songs!! 

SF Seals -- Still?  You may recognize the  vocals of the beloved Barbara Manning (of the World of Pooh & her own solo career).  If so, you are correct.  Ultimately, the SF Seals were a brief flash in the musical spectrum but the album Nowhere (that this track is from; also featured on the excellent What's Up Matador compilation) is a lovely pop gem.  This song in particular will give you a serious case of the sads.  Good to put on with you've got the blues real bad. (Make sure to listen til the very very end for the funny lil surprise!)

Marie's the Name of His Latest Flame

Just popping in to show you how amazingly clevah Morrissey is in case you'd forgotten.  Check this out:

 Elvis Presley -- Marie's The Name, His Latest Flame

Then check out the beginning of this live version of The Smiths

"Rusholme Ruffians" (from the album Rank):

The Smiths -- Rusholme Ruffians (live)

Sure changes the meaning when Moz sings it, no?

With all the bands reuniting & touring these days, I really *REALLY* wish these guys would bury their hatchets & do it.  But even pretty insane monetary offers aren't changing Moz's mind.

You can watch the version above in action in the video clip below: